The Department of Geography at the University of Florida, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, invites applications for two (2) full-time, nine-month, tenure-accruing positions, at the level of Assistant Professor to begin August 16, 2021. The department seeks candidates with expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to study Atmospheric and Climate Science (meteorology, weather forecasting and prediction, extreme events, climate change and climate change modeling, etc.) and will complement existing strengths in the department and across campus. The review of applications will begin on February 15th.
Primary responsibilities include 1) the development of a high-quality research portfolio employing AI techniques (e.g., artificial neural networks, deep learning, machine learning, computer vision, reinforcement learning) in Atmospheric and/or Climate Science, 2) a 2-1 teaching assignment where developed undergraduate and graduate courses contribute to our proposed new major in meteorology and/or certificate in AI and Atmospheric Science along with mentoring students, including those from underrepresented backgrounds, and 3) performance of administrative/service duties commensurate with a tenure-track appointment in the Department.
This search is part of a campus wide effort by the University of Florida to expand the role of AI in higher education and research (https://ai.ufl.edu). The University is home to HiPerGator, one of the most powerful high-performance computers at a US public university (www.rc.ufl.edu/services/hipergator/). For more information on the recent gifts from a UF alumnus and NVIDIA to support this effort, see https://news.ufl.edu/2020/07/nvidia-partnership/ and the currently developing AI webpage for UF at https://ai.ufl.edu/. Both Geography hires are expected to contribute to this university-wide AI research and teaching initiative.
The Department of Geography has 22 active faculty members who conduct teaching and research in a broad spectrum across our focus areas, which are Geospatial Analysis & Techniques; Earth System Science; Medical Geography in Global Health; Geopolitics and the Global Economy; Places, Networks & Flows; Catastrophes, Conservation and Conflict; and Sustainability & the Global Environment. It offers BS/BA, MS/MA, and PhD degree tracks, including online and distance learning options. Please visit http://geog.ufl.edu/ to learn more about the department.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum qualifications:
- PhD degree in Geography, Meteorology, Atmospheric Sciences, Data or Computer Sciences, or related field
- Demonstrated research potential or accomplishments in using AI with atmospheric data
- A commitment to quality teaching that incorporates AI and mentoring of a diverse student body
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience using super-computing in research and planned uses for super-computing in proposed research
- A record of publications in peer-reviewed academic journals where AI techniques were applied to achieve atmospheric-related research goals
- Evidence of high-quality teaching at the undergraduate and/or graduate level
- Ability to teach one required core course in our proposed meteorology major such as mesoscale meteorology, numerical weather prediction, or atmospheric physics
- Ability to teach at least one course that provides students with hands-on experience in utilizing AI-related techniques to analyze atmospheric data